370 Years of the Dutch Trading Post on Dejima -Dejima in 2011-
Contributed by Miyuki Yamaguchi, Curator of Nagasaki City Dejima Restoration Office |
Do you want to learn about the circumstances surrounding
the Dutch Trading Post? In 1640 Maximiliaan le Maire, director of the trading
post in Hirado, was ordered by the Tokugawa Shogunate to abandon the post
in Hirado and move operations to Dejima in the following year. The Dutch
left Hirado by ship on June 24, 1641, arriving at Dejima on the next day,
June 25, 1641, marking the beginning of the Dutch Trading Post on Dejima.
Dejima was originally an artificial island reclaimed
and constructed in order to house the Portuguese residing around Nagasaki
in Dejima. It was built in 1636 by 25 wealthy Nagasaki merchants by order
of the Tokugawa Shogunate to continue trade with the west even though Christianity
was banned. But in 1639, Portuguese ships were prohibited from coming to
Japan and the Portuguese were expelled from Dejima, followed by the Hirado
trading post being moved to Dejima in 1641. Thereafter Dejima played a
very important role for the modernization of Japan as the only port which
was officially opened to the West spanning 218 years until the opening
of Japan to the world in the Ansei Era.
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Orange Day (April 2011)Concert
in the Chief Factor's Residence |
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"Hirado and Dejima" Exhibition
Opening(June 2011) Tape Cutting |
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Dutch Trading Post at Hirado
Warehouse Restoration |
The year 2011 marked Dejima's 370th anniversary. A
wide variety of events were held by Nagasaki City Hall in commemoration
of the move of the Dutch Trading Post on Hirado to Dejima. First "Dejima
Orange Day" was offered on April 29 and 30. In the Netherlands, people
wearing orange to celebrate the Queen's birthday on April 30, which is
one of their national holidays. For two days, April 29 (Showa Day) and
30, we held some events celebrating the friendship between the Netherlands
and Japan, including allowing visitors to enter Dejima for free if dressed
in orange or carrying orange goods. This event took place as a charity
event for the Great East Japan Earthquake, and a large amount of money
was raised and donated thanks to the hard work of our sponsors and the
event performers. Orange Day will also be celebrated on April 30 this year,
and we hope you will come enjoy this event.
From June 25, the date when the Dutch Trading Post
moved to Dejima, the "Hirado and Dejima: The Woven Past of Two Trading
Posts" exhibition opened with the cooperation of Nagasaki and Hirado
City, and both mayors were in attendance. After the tape cutting ceremony,
many commemorative events and activities were held such as a Hirado product
exhibition, a commemorative lecture by the curator of Hirado City, a marching
performance by Yokoo Junior High School Band, and a mini-concert. This
exhibition showcased the journey of Dejima, from its opening on Hirado
to the exchange between Japan and the Netherlands thereafter. This exhibition
was held until the beginning of October in Dejima and opened on November
12 in Hirado at the 1639 Dutch Trading Post on Hirado Warehouse, a place
to learn about the history and culture of the trading port Hirado, that
opened in September of this year;.
Nowadays, although Dejima is being restored to its
early 19th century appearance, in 2011 we launched a project to celebrate
Dejima's 370th anniversary focused on Dejima in the 17th century when it
was built and the trading post was established. At that time Japan faced
turbulent times during the Warring State Period and the subsequent establishment
of the Tokugawa Shogunate. As such, exchange with foreign countries was
subject to the mercy of this turmoil. We think it very significant that
the year 2011 was the period when we were able to revisit the beginnings
of Dejima.
In the fall of 2012, we are planning a very large event that will attract the producers of Japanese cattle from all around Japan. Dejima was the only place in Japan where beef was imported and available during the Edo Era. We have planned many different food related events such as collaboration events with the "Nagasaki Barairo," producers of the recently lauded black hair Japanese cattle in Nagasaki. We hope that you will come to Dejima and enjoy this event and the food available.
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